The Ugly, The Bad and the GOOD

[Doolhof]

We all have days where we wonder why we even decided to get out of bed!

This is your opportunity to share the bad and the ugly...but you also have to write down what was GOOD about that day or event!

I will give you an example:

 Recently I was doing 110 k.m. (As allowed in S.A.) on a highway when my front right tyre blew out. I was able to control the car and pull off the road. I was not far from home so called my husband to help me change the tyre.

He said "Looks like you are having a really bad day!" I thought about it and yes, it was not a pleasant event and it was 42 degrees and I was exhausted after work and just wanted to get home.

The bad news is the tyre was totally shredded, the good news is I did not run into any of the oncoming trucks and the car behind me had slowed down enough for me to dart off the road in an erratic manner.

The bad news was it was extremely hot, the good news is it didn't take long to change the tyre and we were soon back in air conditioned cars.

The bad news is that it cost money to repair the slight damage to the car and replace the tyre, the good news is my pay covered the repairs.

The point is I could have allowed this event to totally destroy my mood for the day, but I tried to look on the bright side of things.

Please share your stories here and remember to try and come up with a positive at the end! It is not always easy to see the sunshine through the storm clouds, but if we look hard enough we can find a ray of positivity and hope!

[White_Rose]

Great idea Dools. I had to think quite hard, always difficult, to find a scenario that met all your criteria. So in the vein...

It's bad that I can watch TV much more these days because I need to be doing other things. It's good that I can watch TV much more these days because the programs that used to trigger my really bad times I can now tolerate and often enjoy.

My oven broke down and now needs throwing out. Bad news because I use it all the time. Good news because I have been learning to cook differently on the cook top. Bad news because of the cost of a new oven, good because I could have a shiny new oven (I had the original for 15 years).  Bad news because I had no energy to go out and find a new oven. Good news because I did eventually get out of the house and go shopping which was good for my health.

[Doolhof]

Thanks White Rose,

You can all go about this any way you like. The main thing is to remember to look for something good in the not so pleasant.

Apart from blowing out a tyre, I recently hit a kangaroo! It was quite a shock! The poor animal was collected by a truck on the other side of the road, so its death was quick. That was a blessing.

I had damage to my car and it cost a bit to be fixed, but the bonus was that I was okay and my car was still drivable.

Relating more to mental health issues, a few years ago I had a breakdown and was sent to a mental health unit for two weeks. Through that experience I learnt a lot about all kinds of mental health issues, I learnt who out of family and friends were helpful and willing to encourage me when I was so low.

Due to feeling like I had hit rock bottom, the only way to go from there was up! It has been a bit of a journey, but I feel like worth is worth living again!

You don't have to write a lot here, it could be as simple as the following:

My parents were coming for dinner. I had made a cake for supper but it stuck terribly in the pan. On a bad depression day that can feel like a disaster!

I scrapped the cake out and made a trifle instead. Dad thought it was wonderful!

Cheers all from Dools

[Doolhof]

this morning I didn't want to get out of bed. I have been struggling with my depression a little lately and my back has been causing me a lot of pain as well.

I would have dearly liked to have pulled the covers up and just stayed where I was until about lunch time.

That wasn't really possible. So I tried to make the most of the day. I had some time between jobs to go for a 20 minute walk. I tried to appreciate the sunshine, the perfume of a rose, the sound of birds chirping and the slight breeze on my skin. I felt refreshed.

I managed to get out of bed and for that I am thankful. I tried to make the most of my day and despite it dragging a little I made it!

Hope you are all able to find something to be grateful for in your day.

Cheers from Dools

[Lost_Girl]

Hey Mrs.Dools,

I just wanted to check in and see how you are. I also wondered how you are going with your colouring in. If you get some time I'd like to hear from you.

My bad, ugly and good are;

It's been over 7 months and I still don't have a proper diagnosis for my chronic headaches.

I have lost faith in my neurologist and my GP and psychologist agree.

I have an appointment with a new neurologist at the end of next month and there is a lot of hope assocuated with that.

Cheers,

Carol

[Doolhof]

Hi Carol,

It is lovely to hear from you!

You have certainly helped to make my day GOOD. I have also enjoyed a service at Church for Good Friday, after we had morning tea with hot cross buns.

 My bad and ugly today happened when my husband and I tried to pull the portable above ground pool apart!

The pump didn't work for ages to help drain the water. We both had different ideas on how to do things! My husband was sending me all over the yard, house and garden to fetch things for the job while he was the boss!

I became a little frustrated and was grumpy!

The good thing out of that was we finally drained the pool! The bad thing is that the water stunk...it should have been done two weeks ago.

Another bad thing was, we can't pull the frame work apart so just bundled it up in the shed for now!

My colouring is going well. I have been enjoying it, helps to fill in the time while my husband is watching all of the sport he enjoys.

Sorry to read about your headaches! It can be really hard to determine what is causing them. I have discovered I have at least three types of headaches!

Those that turn into migraines. Headaches because my neck and back are out and headaches caused by my blocked sinus. I had no idea you had sinus bits in your forehead! My sinus are bad at present. When I lean forward, the pain intensifies. That is how my Dr discovered it was sinus related.

A CT scan showed it up quite clearly as well.

All the best with sorting your headaches out!

Best wishes for better health, from Dools

[Lost_Girl]

Hey Mrs. Dools,

I'm very glad you had the time to write back.

I had a little giggle reading your account of the deconstruction of the pool as it reminded me most fondly of my Mum and Dad. I could just picture then in the same circumstance and could imagine Mum's frustration. This is a scene of sorts that was played out many times in my childhood.

I am glad you are enjoying the colouring in, it is a lovely relaxing activity. I have put my pencils down currently in favour of crocheting but will pick it up again soon.

Thanks for the well wishes. I had no idea that there were sinuses in the forehead either! 

I hope you have a lovely Easter weekend.

Cheers,

Carol

[Doolhof]

Hi Carol and everyone else,

I have another funny little story for you about my husband and I working together.

We had just moved into a different house. I had a picture I wanted on a certain wall. Once again I was the one fetching all of the bits and pieces needed.

I tried telling my husband exactly where I wanted the picture hung. My husband likes to measure everything so it is within half a mmm accurate. He told me to be quiet while he was trying to think.

He drilled the holes in the wall for the picture. Hung the picture and asked me what I thought. I told him that was not where I had wanted the picture at all, but as he had told me to be quiet and he wouldn't listen to me, that would now have to do.

My Dad was a classic one Christmas. Mum had been asking him for months to hang up some new lights in the kitchen and dining room for Christmas.

Christmas Day we were helping Mum to set the table when in came Dad with his ladder, tools and the new lights. Dad stood on the kitchen table all decorated for Christmas and started to drill holes in the ceiling for the lights!

Mum had a few words to say. Dad asked her what on earth was wrong with her as he was putting the lights up for Christmas like she had requested!

Christmas lunch was lovely under our new lights! Ha. Ha.

[Lost_Girl]

Ha! That's hillarious. Your hubby and your Dad sound a little alike. I have heard a saying that girls often fall for men like their Dad.

A little story from me:

We had a custom made cupboard made with closed cupboards at the bottom and bookcases at the top and a small corner desk. It ran along two full adjoining walls in our second living space.

When it was installed hubby realised there was no allowance for the electric socket. So he pulled the cupboard out from the wall and marked up where he would need to saw a hole. All sounds good in theory. So after marking it up he cut out the hole feeling quite happy with himself.

Now hubby is not a "handy" person by any stretch. He is much more at home working on electronic systems for large ships. I had been a bit hesitant of him cutting into our brand new cupboards but I thought what could go wrong?

When hubby showed me the finished hole I looked..... it looked neat. Then I glanced at the wall it needed to go up against and realised he'd cut in the wrong spot. "No I haven't", he says adamantly. "I pulled it out and measured it...it's all good." So I asked him to push it back and show me and of course it didn't fit. He didn't understand and was scratching his head. What he had done was as well as pulling it out from the wall it backed onto, he had also pulled it out from the side wall for access. So he marked it up while it was misaligned. So he had to extend the hole and I had to work on my perfectionist behaviour and get used to it.

Shortly after when the cupboard had been filled, and our laptop set up in the corner desk, there was a political advertisement on tv about Tony Abbott about  "pulling the plug on computers" meaning the NBN. My then 3 year old crawled under this cupboard and was playing with the power socket. I said "what are you doing under there?", in my best Mum voice.... then this little high pitched muffled reply says, "I'm helping Mr Abbott pull the plug on computers".

Cheers,

Carol

[Doolhof]

Hi Carol,

I like your story! Ha. Ha. My husband was hanging a picture the other day, only he was trying to hang it upside down. I just mentioned I would like it up the other way please!

My husband and my Dad are only similar in the fact that they do things at sometimes inconvenient times. My Dad was hardly ever at home when we were kids, so I don't really know him at all.

Unfortunately I still feel awkward and uncomfortable in his company when we are alone. It is very sad really.

Today my good thing is that I was on time for my client Mrs. A. The bad thing is that she was not at home. The ugly thing is that I do not get paid for a job I don't do. It sucks when that happens. You drive to a persons home, they aren't there and they then expect you to keep phoning them to reschedule. That really is bad!

Good thing out of that is I had a couple of unexpected hours at home today!

Cheers from Mrs. Dools